|  | 3.2 | Segmentation with Switching Architectures
| 3.2.4 | The role of routers in VLANs
The traditional role of a router is to provide firewalls, broadcast management and route processing and distribution. While VLAN switches take on some of these tasks, routers still remain vital in VLAN architectures because they provide connected routes between different VLANs. They also connect to other parts of the network that are either logically segmented with the more traditional subnet approach or require access to remote sites across wide-area links. Layer 3 communication, either embedded in the switch or provided externally, is an integral part of any high-performance switching architecture. You can cost-effectively integrate external routers into the switching architecture by using one or more high-speed backbone connections. These are typically Fast Ethernet, or ATM connections, and they provide benefits by: Increasing the throughput between switches and routers Consolidating the overall number of physical router ports required for communication between VLANs VLAN architecture not only provides logical segmentation, but, with careful planning, it can greatly enhance the efficiency of a network.